Is watercooling only the CPU worth it?

mranderson

mranderson

mranderson

Associate
Joined
29 Jul 2008
Posts
1,416
Used to be a good solution in the past with all the power hungry CPU's but since the Core series I have used w/c in only one system and removed it after a couple of months as I couldn't see any significant benefit in overclocking or noise.
Any reason why people still use w/c for cooling the CPU only?
 
I used an Antec AIO water cooling setup a 920 i think it was...and i saw no difference at all in temps ...in fact the only difference was the noise ..I sent it back after two days...sounded like it was full of grit :(

I did not have an Overclocking setup though.
 
There are some practical uses. For one it clears a lot of space around the cpu socket, so if your set on high profile ram, its not something you have to worry about like you do with some air coolers.
If i find a self contained water loop that is as quiet as my current air cooler and drops temps by 10c in the process, id jump on it. Not that interested in gaming and only want to unlock the cpu potential.
Downside to some of these closed loop coolers is that performance/price ratio isnt that great. IMO, its also kind of gimmicky but i am looking forward to some of the new water coolers being released 2013.
 
Last edited:
All in one watercoolers are basically on a par with high end air cooling. Custom watercooling is a whole different matter. It will allow you to push for higher overclocks, run quieter. It is expensive though and needs to be approached with a bit more care than other forms of cooling. Can look fantastic too when done right.
 
How much higher overclocks? I've never managed to squeeze more than 10% more from my highest overclock in air (with the same levels of noise - probably less with the aircooler as the fan was of better quality), which to my books is nothing you would notice.
 
Rubicant said:
There are some practical uses. For one it clears a lot of space around the cpu socket, so if your set on high profile ram, its not something you have to worry about like you do with some air coolers.
If i find a self contained water loop that is as quiet as my current air cooler and drops temps by 10c in the process, id jump on it. Not that interested in gaming and only want to unlock the cpu potential.
Downside to some of these closed loop coolers is that performance/price ratio isnt that great. IMO, its also kind of gimmicky but i am looking forward to some of the new water coolers being released 2013.
Click to expand...

I switched from a Alpenfohn Matterhorn PURE, with 2 SP120PE strapped to it to a H100i and I saw a 7°c drop on idle temps (average over 5 days) and a 9°c drop under load testing (OCCT)
 
i don't see the point in just cooling the cpu.
the case looks awesome when your cooling the cpu and at least 2x gpu's on a loop.
 
teenwolf said:
i don't see the point in just cooling the cpu.
the case looks awesome when your cooling the cpu and at least 2x gpu's on a loop.
Click to expand...

Depends some of the SLI/Crossfire set-ups end up looking downright fugly depending on which fittings etc are used.
 
and also longevity of components..

I have a complete water cooling set-up and its very quiet compared to the high-end air cooling i had before and performs better, its very odd for it be a constant (low) noise level level whether your browsing the net or playing crysis 3! took me a while to get used to it.
 
I found a great gain putting my cpu under water after using a pair of AIO setups.

A triple rad dual CPUs and motherboard sees my overclock not going over 40deg c under full load and less than 5deg delta to ambient room temp. Its certainly quiet when gaming and I can run it with just two fans on minimum speed.

The main factor is using the right size rad for your ideal needs and the right fans too match that.
 
Resident said:
I switched from a Alpenfohn Matterhorn PURE, with 2 SP120PE strapped to it to a H100i and I saw a 7°c drop on idle temps (average over 5 days) and a 9°c drop under load testing (OCCT)
Click to expand...

Gelid tranquillo is equivalent to Alpenfohn Matterhorn (within 2c at load) and costs <£30. H100i + 2 SP120PE = £125 (aprox).

£90 for 7-9c drop = :mad:
 
Last edited:
Pabl0 said:
and also longevity of components..

I have a complete water cooling set-up and its very quiet compared to the high-end air cooling i had before and performs better, its very odd for it be a constant (low) noise level level whether your browsing the net or playing crysis 3! took me a while to get used to it.
Click to expand...

Any pump will make more noise compared to quality fan and in addition you will have the same noise even when at idle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom